The Leggero

The Leggero

Blistering performance and traffic-stopping looks: it’s an irresistible combination. And the potential to fine-tune the Leggero configuration adds an extra layer of danger.–bikexif

The attention to detail is spellbinding. –Silodrome

The engine performance…good grief… The sound alone….mesmerizing the moment I started it up. The clutch and transmission….what??!! It’s like nothing I could ever dream of. So exact and extremely precise. The weight and handling….unreal… I knew when I pulled it out of the crate the weight was going to be something I’ve never experienced. I was right, wow, was I right!–Leggero owner

It is absolutely bloody fantastic…the moment you first pull away you already know this bike is very special, but it takes no time to get completely comfortable and confident on it and in its ability to deliver razor sharp handling and performance… Congratulations!–Leggero owner

Walt is a truly unique combination of artist, craftsman and engineer. The Leggero reflects each of these traits: It is stunningly beautiful to the eye; its meticulous workmanship exceeds any I have seen; and most importantly it is an incredible ride. The bike is reliable, well sorted, finely balanced, powerful and very quick. Its performance is simply awesome.–Leggero owner

The Leggero is handmade to customer specifications, while essential elements like frame and bodywork are fixed units. The frame is built in-house with 4130 chrome moly steel tubing and weighs just 15 lbs. The bodywork is made in kevlar. The engines are Bruce Meyers Performance rebuilt and blueprinted two-valve Ducati units fitted with Keihins FCRs or fuel injection systems. There is a half-fairing option as well.

“It’s that 90 degree, two-valve, Desmo engine that won so many hearts, including mine. There is no engine out there with the same characteristics. It’s a brilliant performer that can be hammered on the racetrack or ridden to the café. No, it won’t have 200 horsepower, but that was never really what owning a Ducati was all about. People bought Ducatis because they evoked a certain feeling that other manufacturers were never able to capture. They made you fall in love. No matter what engine size, be it a 650 or an 1100, you have plenty of grunt out of corners: You dip the bike in, and as soon as you clip the apex you feed the throttle in and it makes you grin stupid. It’s how these engines make power that is so much fun (and at the end of the day your jacket smells like spent fuel).

Ducati is still building outstanding, heart throb bikes, but now they have traction control, ABS, automatic electronic suspension adjustments and more. It all doesn’t necessarily make it a better product, and it certainly doesn’t make it a safer product. It just makes it a more complicated product. It doesn’t add to the fun factor.

With the Leggeros, I’m using classic sport design elements that are clearly recognizable as such. That includes almost all aspects of the build, from exhaust to frame design. And with today’s brakes, modern suspension components and fuel injection systems, I’m able to build a truly contemporary motorcycle. I’m getting the best out of the really great characteristics that Ducati has engineered into their bikes, while making everything lighter and stronger. With the two-valve engine I need less components, so the design is much cleaner.” — Walt Siegl